FOUR years ago Gerry Sweeney took his wife Cecilia on holiday to Spain to celebrate her recovery from cancer.

FOUR years ago Gerry Sweeney took his wife Cecilia on holiday to Spain to celebrate her recovery from cancer.

But the trip ended in tragedy when the couple, aged 61 and 56, died aftera car crash caused by a motorist driving on the wrong side of the road.

Their children buried them together in a grave at their local church, St Mary's RC in Woolton, and have tried to get on with their lives.

But now they are grief stricken again after being told their parents' bodies must be exhumed because the grave belongs to someone else.

Another family has been waiting six months to bury an 89-year-old woman alongside her dead husband in the same grave.

The RC archdiocese of Liverpool has discovered that there was a mistake over the ownership of some graves decades ago involving a priest who has since died.

An exhumation licence was issued by the Home Office last week and preexhumation investigations have already begun.

But Stephen Sweeney, the couple's son, has vowed to fight the move saying the decision to exhume has been made unfairly.

The 34-year-old, who lives in London, said: "Both families are victims in this. But we feel violated by the archdiocese. They have never apologised or explained how this terrible mistake happened, other than trying to blamea now deceased former priest.

"The home office has been unreasonable in reaching its decision, refusing to provide copies of the evidence on which they based their decision.

"The exhumation is absolutely improper. Our lives are being ripped apart. We know an exhumation can happen at any time and we have appealed to the home office to urgently reconsider before it's too late."

Mr Sweeney says his parents bought a family burial plot at St Mary's approximately 25 years ago.

It has now turned out that the plot they were sold belongs to another family who had last buried a relative there in 1957.

A spokesman for the archdiocese said: "The burial of the late Mr and Mrs Sweeney took place in 2000 in the belief on the part of their family that this unmarked grave was the family grave purchased by their parents.

"The family of the other woman, who died in February this year, naturally wishes her to be laid to rest with her late husband in what is in fact their family grave, to which they hold the original grave deed.

"The archdiocesan authorities have expressed regret at this situation during discussions with both families.

"We believe the decision by the Home Office to grant the exhumation licence will enable this unfortunate situation to be remedied.

"The archdiocese offers sympathy to both families in their distress and will bear the cost of the reburial."